a top businesswoman said yesterday.

Anne Kast told those at Hamilton Rotary's weekly luncheon the economy was the most fundamental issue facing women.

"A strong economy means expanding demand for workers and therefore creates good opportunities for women,'' Mrs. Kast explained. "Competition for workers makes discrimination and glass ceilings economically undesirable.'' Mrs. Kast, who is president of Kast Investment Management, said a surplus of jobs was the best protection against unfair work practices and as the experienced labour pool was exhausted, less experienced women would be hired.

"When the economy is growing, the number of small businesses that start up and succeed is much larger,'' she said. "Many of these businesses are owned by women.'' She noted that 16 percent of businesses were owned by women in 1970, but that increased to 24 percent by 1991.

Mrs. Kast also noted that in 1994 women represented 50 percent of the workforce, up ten percent from 1970.

She added women had advanced in the level of their occupations and in 1994 women represented 55 percent -- an increase of ten percent over the past 16 years -- of the professional and technical jobs. And in managerial jobs, women now represented 37 percent of the job market, compared to 23 percent in 1978.

Mrs. Kast said Government was advocating economy strengthening policies, like developing the Base lands and relaxing exchange controls, that would carry the trend into the next century.

She also pointed out that Government's approach would do more for the advancement of women than implementing programmes, such as mandatory on-the-job day care, "that will stifle growth''.

"Imposing extensive regulation actually creates job barriers and limits job creation,'' Mrs. Kast said. "Government-imposed solutions such as required benefits raise the cost of employing women. Higher costs may make some companies reluctant to hire women.'' And while admitting that Bermuda needed to have many more women in higher positions and to close the "ridiculously wide wage gap'', she said: "With a strong economy these things can happen, with a weak economy they will not.'' Anne Kast